Conditions at Banana Beach in May
May: The Grovel Ratio Goes Up
May shows the seasonal slide clearly. Average wave height drops to 1.8m (6ft) and period falls to 9.4s - average, punchy, wind-swell territory rather than powerful winter groundswell. A huge 62.9% of the wave energy now comes from the NNW, with NW adding 19.3%. The surf is still there, and the exposed sections of Banana Beach will catch plenty, but the long-period juice that makes it shine is fading.
Wind is ideal only 36% of the time, making morning sessions much more critical. The offshore NNE-E sector now totals just over 11%, so there are fewer of those clean desert-outflow days. NNW (37.0%) and NW (24.4%) dominate, and the afternoon sea breeze adds more chop. Air temps jump to 21.9°C, water temp rises to 17.4°C, and precipitation is negligible at 0.31mm/day. Grab a longboard or a groveler and keep expectations in check.
Average Spot conditions at Banana Beach in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Banana Beach during May. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Banana Beach for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Banana Beach for May. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Banana Beach.